


Nothing To Fear

by Gemology



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Comfort, Episode: s01e49 Jailbreak, F/F, Friendship, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Prison, jailbreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemology/pseuds/Gemology
Summary: What happened while Amethyst and Pearl were alone in Jailbreak?





	

"Pearl?"

"Yes, Amethyst?"

"I'm scared."

"Me too, Amethyst."

The two gems were silent for several moments. Both were quietly enveloped in their own thoughts. They both thought about crying, but knew that it would be useless. Besides, neither of them wanted to give the enemy the satisfaction of seeing them in such a weak state. They both listened to the rumbles of the ship, as it carried them further and further from Earth, and closer to an unknown fate at the gem Homeworld.

It was odd, that the two of them were placed in adjacent cells. As far as they could tell, neither Ruby nor Sapphire nor Steven were anywhere nearby. Perhaps it was because they were the defective gems in the group. After all, even Garnet's parts broken up were perfect. And Jasper didn't seem to know that Steven was only half gem and not a pure Quartz. Perhaps it was because the two were not poofed, and could the inside of the ship and memorize its intricacies if given the chance. The others could be placed deeper inside, and when they awoke and managed to break free, it would be much more difficult to escape. Amethyst and Pearl at least knew where the exit was.

Finally, Amethyst could stand the silence no longer. "What do you think will happen to us?"

Of all the things that she could think about, that was the one question Pearl didn't want to consider. She'd been busy absorbing herself in her memories, thinking of Rose, and Garnet, and Amethyst, and even Steven. Memories of the war, before, during, and after. Anything and everything to keep her mind off the multitude of grim futures that were rampaging in the back of her mind.

There was no use in trying to come up with a tactical plan of escape. The barriers that held them in their cells were far beyond any technology they had ever seen or used before. It was made to keep gems in, and keep others who wished to free them out. An impenetrable force field, created through years and years of research and tests, for use in many galactic battles.

"I don't know, Amethyst." Pearl said truthfully. "They may just decide to destroy us. Or they may want to use us for experiments. I don't know. Things are so much different now than they were over 5000 years ago when Rose and I left. Things were much simpler back then. Gem technology has advanced so much. It's hard to say what we might be useful for."

Everything was so uncertain now. Before, she, Garnet, and Amethyst had been prepared to die at the hands of whatever forces Peridot brought with her. They'd sent Steven away, so that he could continue to protect the humans even when they were gone. Perhaps he would be able to rally gems to himself, as Rose did in the war. There hadn't been time to plan for his future, only time to make sure he was safe.

But he'd returned, and it had thrown their plans into total chaos. They had never counted on him returning to defend them. Pearl was... proud, of him. He was so much like his mother. She never would have left her friends to fight alone, and it seemed Steven shared her same courage and loyalty. And yet, he was so foolish. For while he did have his mother's shield, he still lacked her power and skills. He had helped them to live, but in the end they'd all been captured.

What must Greg be feeling right now, if he even knew about Steven's fate? Had he brought Steven back, despite knowing the dangers? No, Greg wouldn't do that. This was a choice that Steven had made on his own. Steven had no idea of the cruelties of war. He was just a boy. He was so young. Pearl didn't want to think about what might happen to him once they reached Homeworld.

As the taller gem was preoccupied with her thoughts, Amethyst was becoming panicked. "Pearl, what if they make me bad again? I don't want to fight other gems!"

"Amethyst." Pearl's voice was firm, but calm. "You have to be strong. You can't let them win. I know you're better than them."

"What if they make me forget about all of you? About Rose?! Or what if they just bubble me? What if I end up like Lapis, trapped in an object forever?! I've seen what we do to gems, what if they do those things to us?!" Amethyst was becoming hysterical.

"AMETHYST!" Pearl's voice rang out through the quiet halls and empty cells around them. "Try not to be afraid. I'm still here with you. And I'm going to stay with you as long as I can." Inwardly, she was trying not to panic too. She began to hum, to try to calm both their nerves, and a calming melody started to flow from her lips.

Then they were quiet for awhile again, once the song had ended. Secretly, Pearl was trying to think about what might happen when they got to Homeworld. There could be miniscule opportunities for their escape once they reached the planet. But it was difficult to strategize when Pearl didn't know what else they'd be up against. They'd lost to one single quartz soldier, all four of them. Steven barely counted, but his shield had saved them from the massive blast of the ship. Garnet would have probably gotten them out of the way if Steven hadn't arrived, but there was still the existence of Jasper they would have had to deal with.

She heard sniffling from the other side of the wall, a sure sign that Amethyst was crying. Amethyst was always trying to hide how sensitive she was behind the façade of being tough and indestructible. But Pearl knew that deep down, she was soft. She hadn't been hardened by the horrors of war. She'd been fighting gem monsters for most of her life, sure. But those were easy battles, against dumb beasts. Not armies of thousands. Not even a close call with a corrupted monster could compare. "Amethyst?" she called out tentatively.

Pearl heard a loud sniffle and a deep breath before Amethyst answered. "Yeah P?"

"Do you remember when Rose found you?" Pearl leaned harder against the wall, as if somehow that would make her feel closer to the other gem.

"How could I forget?" Amethyst smiled fondly, sniffling again and wiping her eyes.

"It was long after the Kindergarten had been destroyed. We thought that all the gems built there had been destroyed, or taken back to Homeworld when the war was over. But we kept checking to make sure it hadn't been reactivated. We didn't know all the capabilities of the technology, or if any of Homeworld's forces had secretly return. Rose was always doing everything she could to make sure the Earth was safe from outside forces."

"Pearl, I know this story, what's your point?" Amethyst sounded exasperated. All this talking wasn't helping them escape, and it wasn't making her feel better.

Pearl did her best to ignore the interruption, and continued, "When we saw you, Garnet and I were ready to poof and bubble you. We thought that all the gems that had been created at the Kindergarten were loyal to Homeworld, our enemies. But Rose coaxed you from that hole, and convinced us to give you a chance. She always wanted to give everyone a chance. Steven is so much like her."

Steven. Amethyst had nearly forgotten about him. As if it wasn't enough that she and Pearl and Ruby and Sapphire were captured, Steven was somewhere in captivity as well. He was just a kid! Why did he have to come back? They would have lost either way, but at least Steven would have safe with Greg. At least there would have been one Crystal Gem to protect the Earth. To protect her home.

Pearl knew that there was nothing they could do right now but wait. She'd fought in a war. She knew what it was like to be a prisoner. She knew about the required patience, the waiting for the perfect time to escape. Worrying about herself or Amethyst or Steven or Ruby or Sapphire or even Garnet was useless. She had to stay calm, for her own sanity, and to reassure Amethyst.

She continued. "She always told us there was good in everything, in everyone. I always agreed with her, but I don't know that I truly believed it. After everything Homeworld did to us, I couldn't believe that every single creature was good. I couldn't believe that you were good, when we found you."

"I wouldn't think I was any good either." Amethyst responded.

"But there is, Amethyst! And I was wrong. I'm not perfect, you know. I'm not always right. I know sometimes it seems like I think that way. Maybe that's just how I'm made. Pearls are supposed to appear perfect on Homeworld. We're only given to the most prestigious of gems, and how we act reflects on our masters. I know I don't have a master here. I know I don't have to put on the show. But so many years of being forced into that way of thinking is hard to remove. I don't mean to be insufferable, but stars knows I can be. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't believe in you. I'm sorry I haven't been the best teammate. Rose would be disappointed in how I've treated you."

She went silent after that, and Amethyst took several minutes to process Pearl's apology. It wasn't like Pearl to be so humble. Perhaps, in the face of an unknown doom, she was trying to make amends in case this was the last time they saw each other. Whether they'd be destroyed, imprisoned, or forced to serve their original purposes, Jasper had given no clue.

"It's okay, P. I know I can be obnoxious too. I know Rose took me in, and you and Garnet did your best to accept me. But Garnet isn't really… she's really aloof, you know? She has, well, she _is_ Ruby and Sapphire. She's never alone. She doesn't need us. And like, I always knew that you only tolerated me because Rose wanted you to. And when she left, I didn't feel like I was wanted anymore. You guys could handle stuff without me. But I didn't have anywhere else to go. I tried really hard to be good, to behave, to not be afraid of the monsters. Even when I was good, though, it wasn't enough for you. You always had things to nitpick about me. So I stopped trying, and started being myself. I went back to being the gem that Rose loved." she paused, choosing her next words carefully.

"Thanks for saying you're sorry. I am too. I just… I just want to feel like a real Crystal Gem. I feel like since I didn't fight in the war, I haven't earned it. I don't deserve it. And it's not you, or Garnet. It's me. Rose always said I was, but I could never believe it." she sighed, a grunt mixed in, frustration evident.

"Amethyst, you are a Crystal Gem. No matter what some silly voice inside tells you. I know I haven't always accepted you, but it's my own fault, not yours. I shouldn't be so judgemental. I need to…" This was a talk they should have both had many years ago, but both were equally stubborn and equally prideful.

"You're not the one who's bad, Amethyst. It's me. On Homeworld. On Earth. On Homeworld, I was defective, imperfect. That's not something I can leave behind no matter where I go. It'll always be a part of me. On Earth, I was still never good enough. My purpose was never to fight. I'm not built that way. No matter how much I tried to protect Rose, no matter how much I trained or how strong I tried to get or how much I tried to defy Homeworld, I could never change what I'm built of. I'll always have reminders."

"For how much we have in common, I don't know why we fight so much." Amethyst piped up. She was referring to the being defective bit, the insecurities the shared, the feeling of never quite belonging, the haunting reminders of their imperfections, feeling bad and worthless. "We should just talk more about… stuff." she wished so badly that she could hug Pearl right now, that she could convey how sorry she really was, for everything. She knew Pearl wasn't without blame, but she respected her humility in apologizing, even if it had taken a couple decades.

"That's what Garnet's always saying. I don't know why I can't listen." Sometimes her own stubbornness was frustrating to Pearl. Rose had always been about open communication and sharing feelings. But Pearl had long been taught on Homeworld to keep her mouth shut and not express displeasure. Odd that when she was faced with going back that she finally broke out of that mold.

"Hey, ain't just you, Pearly. We could both try harder." she ran a hand through her hair. Why did this have to happen now? Why did they have to patch things up between them when they might never see each other again? Perhaps it was that, when they were faced with an unknown but negative fate, it seemed right to get everything off their chests. But why couldn't they do the same thing after living with each other for a few hundred years?

They seemed to be out of things to say, after that. Apologies, confessions, self revelations. It was all out in the open now. They'd reached a better understanding of each other, but what good did it do them now? Only when things looked bleak could they tear down their guard and become vulnerable, putting aside their pride. If they managed to get back to Earth, they would have to be willing to be exposed to each other more often.

They sat in silence. It might have persisted until they reached Homeworld, as both were engrossed in their own thoughts. But suddenly, they heard quick little footsteps coming towards them. When they looked up, there was Steven. Had they been human, they would have thought they were dreaming, but they were gems, and they knew they were wide awake. The two stared in shock, until Steven ran over and reached for Pearl's barrier.

"Steven no-" Pearl leaped up, as if somehow she could stop him from the other side. But Steven was already in the midst of the stream, holding open a safe path for Pearl to crawl through.

"Come on you guys!" He called out to Pearl. She stayed, stunned for a moment, trying to comprehend how Steven could be defying this Homeworld tech. Not even Rose Quartz would have been that strong. She surmised that Homeworld must not have considered humans when they created their technology, and Jasper wasn't aware that he was only half gem. Wordlessly, she quickly crawled through the opening, and as soon as she was out Steven rushed over to Amethyst's cell.

"Garnet says we need to get to the control bridge!" The other two gems nodded in understanding, their minds still reeling over the what had occurred the last few seconds. Then Steven took off running, and they followed. There was no time for chit chat now. Steven had saved them, and it didn't matter how. They were going to fight for their freedom, and they were going home.

She wanted so desperately to hold Amethyst, to run her fingers through her hair, and assure her that everything was alright now. If Steven was free, and Garnet was free, there was hope that they would get home safely. Now she knew that Steven was a secret weapon, a creature that Homeworld would never know how to combat. He might even become more powerful than his mother one day.

Had she been human, her heart would have been leaping from her chest. They weren't doomed anymore. Their years of fighting for Earth weren't over. They hadn't failed Rose Quartz. And Homeworld hadn't heard the last of them.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my work, please consider buying me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/gemology


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